'Let’s find what works for you': Deaf nursing graduate aims to expand opportunities for disabled healthcare professionals
OGDEN, Utah — A former high school dropout, Dionne DeMille thought she’d never amount to anything.
Now, set to graduate with her Doctor of Nursing Practice this Saturday at Weber State University, she wants to use her life and career experiences to open doors for current and future disabled healthcare professionals.
“I love seeing anyone with a disability coming into healthcare. We absolutely need them,” she said. “They bring a perspective and a compassion that just surpasses the general population. We understand what it’s like to struggle.”
DeMille, 60, of Eagle Mountain, is profoundly deaf and works as a nursing instructor at Nightingale College, an online nursing school in Salt Lake City. At 6 years old, she was inspired to become a nurse after attending a vaccination clinic and being comforted by a nurse before getting her shots.
“We lined up in this huge, long line and I remember being so terrified,” DeMille said. “Then I get up to the front of the line, and there’s a nurse. She got down on my level, started talking to me, and said, ‘Hey, you got this.’ I remember thinking, ‘I want to be like her someday.’”
DeMille was diagnosed with severe hearing loss as a child and was raised oral, meaning she talked and lip read instead of using sign language. Because of her deafness, she was told a career path in nursing was out of reach.
“One day, I just decided to heck with it. Whether people say I can or can’t, I’m going to do it anyway,” she said. “I’ve done that my whole life. When somebody says I can’t do something, I say, ‘Watch me,’ and go do it.”
DeMille earned her licensed practical nurse certificate from Salt Lake Community College in 2000. At the time, she was a single mother of five children — one of whom was a medically fragile newborn — and decided she would take a break from school to prioritize her young family. But the urge to further her education was still there, and she enrolled at Nightingale.
“When I first got my LPN, proving that I could be there was my biggest challenge. It was pretty much unheard of back then for someone deaf to go to nursing school,” she said. “I had to fight for legitimacy, for my right to be here. But at Nightingale, they supported me 100 percent.”
This second time around, DeMille found online learning to be much easier, as she was able to rely on captioning technology instead of a sign language interpreter and note taker as she had during in-person classes. She also found technology to help her with patient visits, like an electronic stethoscope to help her hear body sounds. She now wears cochlear implants, which help her hear.
In 2016, she became a registered nurse and decided she would get all the degrees she could. She earned a bachelor’s, then a master’s of nursing with a focus on eduction in 2021, and now, her doctorate at Weber State.
“I love being at Weber. The faculty in the nursing program have been fabulous to work with me,” she said. “I love learning, and I’ve got some great friends.”
For her doctorate-level project, DeMille created a program for nursing school faculty to advocate and expand access to students with disabilities. The program involves a liaison who will be a bridge between faculty and the university’s disability services coordinator, and a toolkit involving strategies, training programs, and examples of previous accommodations for disabled students.
“We found the biggest roadblock for schools of nursing and for faculty being resistant to bringing in students with disabilities is simply a lack of education,” she said. “Maybe they’ve never had somebody in a wheelchair say they want to be a nurse. It really doesn’t matter what that disability is, there are ways to overcome that, and there are ways to help you become a nurse.”
With more than 20 years in the nursing profession under her belt, DeMille has now met many other Deaf healthcare professionals and says the healthcare world is expanding to include people from all backgrounds. As a nursing instructor, she hopes her doctorate will make her a better educator and champion for her students.
“I want to get into a leadership position where I can really advocate for students with disabilities,” she said. “I really want to help them to see there’s no reason why you can’t become a nurse or a doctor if that’s what you do. Let’s find what works for you to help you be successful.”
Weber State’s 166th graduation ceremonies begin Friday at 9 a.m. and last until Saturday evening. Visit the commencement website for the full schedule.
Jessica Kokesh, Marketing & Communications
801-626-7316, jessicakokesh@weber.edu- Contact:
Rachel Badali, Public Relations Director
801-626-7948, rachelbadali@weber.edu